August 25, 1888.] 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



215 



have been poisoned through eating some noxious 

 plant. Suspicion attached to a variety of Crowfoot, 

 which, during the late rains, has largely increased in 

 growth in boggy parts of the meadows. Several 

 specimens of this plant were forwarded to the 

 Botanical Secretary of the Bedfordshire Natural 

 History Society (Mr. J. Hamsom), who has come to 

 the conclusion that the plant which poisoned the 

 animals is the lesser Spearwort (Ranunculus flam- 

 mula\ a very poisonous variety of Crowfoot. It is 

 rather uncommon, but the wet season seems to have 

 Le 'U favourable to its development. 



The Gardeners' Orphan Fund.— The gar- 

 dens at Ketton Hall, Stamford, were opened to the 

 public in aid of the above on Monday, August 20, 

 through the kindness of Mr. and Mrs. HorwooD. 

 The day was not very promising, but there was a 

 good attendance, and £3 17s. was taken for admission 

 and 2s. S.\d. in collecting boxes, leaving a balance 

 in favour of the Fund of £2 7s. Sid. after paying 

 expenses of printing and advertising. 



APPLE AND Pear SHOW.— The Devonshire 

 Pomological Society has arranged for an Apple and 

 Tear Exhibition to be held in Exeter on October 25 

 and 26 this year. Schedules are now ready, and can 

 be obtained from the Honorary Secretary. 



CONIFERS. — Last year the growth of most 

 species of ornamental coniferous trees was much 

 less than usual, owing to the drought and heat, 

 which conduced to the early maturing of the wood. 

 Many weakly trees perished on light dry soil. This 

 fear, on the contrary, the growth of shoots has been 

 far in excess of ordinary years, and the heavy rains 

 have contributed greatly to the unwonted health of 

 the trees. We observed recently at Luton Hoo 

 gardeas some trees of Araucaria imbricata which 

 were threatened with the loss of their lower branches, 

 but which were rapidly recovering vigour, as was 

 observed by the number of new shoots made, by 

 means of surface soiling and heavy root waterings, 

 aided by the rains of June and July. Cedrus 

 Deodara severely pruned at the points of the leading 

 branches were breaking densely into new growth, 

 and that without any artificial assistance. By thus 

 pruning the larger branches the damage done by 

 heavy snowfall is greatly lessened, and the appear- 

 ance of the trees as objects on a lawn much 

 improved. 



Sale of Devizes Castle. — On Tuesday, 



August 21 Mr. Edwakd Tewson (Messrs. Deben- 

 ham, Tewson, Farmer & Bridgewater) offered for 

 sale, at the Auction Mart, by order of the executors 

 of the late Mr. R. Valentine Leach, the historical 

 freehold estate of Devizes Castle and 120 acres of 

 adjoining ground. Devizes Castles had certainly a 

 unique record from its foundation by Bishop Roger 

 about 1107, down to the present day, having been in 

 the occupation of eleven Queens of England, and 

 having also in its time sustained an attack from the 

 forces of Crojuwell. The biddings commenced with 

 an offer of £4000, and did not advance beyond 

 £8u:K), at which sum the estate was declared sold, 

 Mr. Tewson adding that the figure was not anything 

 like the value of the property, or at all events, what 

 it had cost the late owners. 



Carnation Mrs. Reynolds Hole. — This 

 very beautiful new Carnation, introduced by Messrs. 

 Dicksons, of Chester, has been recently awarded a 

 Silver Medal and Diploma at the Antwerp Royal 

 Society of Horticulture and Agriculture. 



DlSA GRAMINIFOLIA. — Mr. Burbidge kindly 

 sends us flowers of this pretty species grown at 

 Straffan, Co. Kildare. Its pale blue flowers are 

 arranged in loose racemes. The upper sepal forms 

 a hood as in a Larkspur flower ; the lateral sepals 

 are much smaller and reflexed ; the lateral petals are 

 concealed within the hood, and seen from the side 

 are like the head and neck of a swan. The project- 

 ing lip is elongate, spoon-shaped, slightly inverted at 



the deeply fringed reddish-violet edges. The column 

 does not fully coincide with Bolus Vdescription and 

 figure in vol. xix. of the Journal of the Linnean 

 Society, and the lip is deeply fringed. We must leave 

 the Orchid experts to settle these discrepancies. 

 The plant grows on the summit of Table Mountain, 

 flowering in March. Its leaves are radical, linear. 



THE GENUS PRIMULA.— Dr. Ferdinand Pax 

 has published in Engler's Botanischc Jahrbucher a 

 very elaborate monograph of the genus Primula, in 

 which he deals with its history, morphology, ana- 

 tomical structure, and geographical distribution. 

 About 150 species are enumerated, grouped under 

 several heads, the most important of which are the 

 margins of the young leaves, involute, or revolute, as 

 the case may be. Other characters are derived from 

 the character of the inflorescence, the accrescent or 

 unchanged calyx, the presence or absence of stolons, 

 and the character of the foliage. 



KNIPHOFIA. — In the garden of Mr. Gcmbleton, 

 in Queenstown, there is a collection of over forty 

 species of this fine genus, from the tiny K. pallidi- 

 flora from Madagascar, with grassy foliage and white 

 Lily of the Valley-like flowers, to the stately 

 K. Northiana. 



Cypripedium bellatulum.— M. Godeiroy 

 states in the Orchiderphile that the plant recently ex- 

 hibited under this name is none other than the 

 original C. Godefroy.-c, and that there is a tendency 

 to call the bad forms of C. bellatulum, Godefroyai, 

 while the good forms of Godefroya; are called 

 bellatulum. 



LlLIUM SPECIOSUM. — Mr. Jenkins sends us buds 

 of two varieties of this Lily called respectively 

 album Kroetzeri and album novum. Several examples 

 of both varieties expanded under glass en July 30, 

 The two varieties seem practically identical, with 

 the exception that the Krojtzeri has rich orange- 

 brown anthers, while the album novum has yellow- 

 anthers. We take the names as we find them, but 

 deprecate the application of Latin names to such 

 minor variations. 



The DOUGLAS Fir. — Baron Von Tcbeuf has 

 recently described a fungus in the shape of a species 

 of Botrytis, which causes great disfigurement of the 

 foliage and young shoots of the Douglas Fir. 



Coniferous Plant Secretions.— The se- 

 cretion in Conifers is a resin mixed with an essential 

 oil. MM. Heckel and Sciilagdenhaufen find an 

 exception in the case of the Araucaria\ which secrete 

 not resin, or oleo-resin, but gum resin. 



Cold Storage of Fruit. — Although for 



several years now meat, game, &c, has been success- 

 fully preserved by cold storage, or freezing, yet until 

 the present time we believe that no organised effort 

 has been made in this country to apply the same treat- 

 ment to fruits. The Royal Horticultural Society, 

 as announced in our last issue, has appointed a strong 

 committee for the purpose of investigating the effects 

 of refrigerating fruit with a view to its preservation, 

 and also to conduct experiments as to the best mode 

 of procedure, thus connecting itself with the com- 

 mercial interests of horticulture. The Leadenhall 

 Cold Storage Company, with whom the Society is 

 working in 'these investigations, has commodious 

 chambers below the market, and it is in these 

 chambers that the subjects on trial will be deposited. 

 On a recent visit to these stores we were enabled, by 

 the courtesy of Mr. D. Tallerman, to inspect the 

 system of working which is known as the " De la 

 Vergne System,'' and consists of allowing anhydrous 

 liquid ammonia under great pressure to enter into 

 pipes from which the air has been exhausted ; the 

 ammonia expands and assumes a gaseous condition 

 extracting heat from the pipes which are conducted 

 round the chambers, they in their turn abstracting 

 the heat from the air of the room ; and so a very low 



temperature may be maintained and regulated at 

 will. One room had been cooled down to 38° F., 

 another to 25°, and one even so low as 22°, in which 

 condition it is found that the bodies of birds can be 

 preserved for twelve months. It is not desirable 

 that we should enter into detail concerning several 

 samples of Cherries which were shown (and which 

 had been in only ten days), as the methods are not 

 yet tested, but appearances point to success. This 

 will have a very important bearing on fruit growing, 

 and on our fruit markets, for if Cherries, Strawber- 

 ries, riums, and other fruits can be preserved fresh 

 till Christmastime, the fruit grower with a surplus 

 stock can freeze those not required for present use ; 

 but it yet remains to be seen in what way this will 

 affect prices. 



ADELAIDE. — Dr. Schojtburgk's Report on the 

 Botanic Garden for the year 1887 is jubilant over 

 the rainfall, which amounted to 25 7 inches instead 

 of 144 during the previous year. The highest tem- 

 perature in the shade for 1887 was lll°-2, in the 

 sun 1G4 3 . Vegetation, both on the farm and in the 

 garden, thrive under these auspices. The insect 

 powder plant, Pyrethrum cinerariajfolium, does well 

 in South Australia, and may become one of its bye 

 products. The garden and its dependencies are in a 

 highly satisfactory condition, and much appreciated 

 by the public. 



The York Gala : Retirement of Mr. 

 JOHN WILSON. — Mr. Wilson, who for the long 

 period of thirty years has so well filled the office of 

 Secretary to the above, and to whose excellent 

 management so much of the success attending the 

 annual fete is due, has resigned that posf, to the 

 great regret of the supporters of this popular horti- 

 cultural festival. Mr. Wilson has been officially 

 connected with the fete from the very first, and he 

 has held the secretaryship without intermission. 

 That he will be greatly missed there will be no- 

 doubt, for his keen business tact, mastery of detail, 

 and invariable courteous demeanour, inspired con- 

 fidence alike among supporters and exhibitors. It 

 will not be easy to find so capable a successor. Mr. 

 Wilson is retiring altogether from the various offices 

 of trust he has so long held in the city of York, and, 

 let it be added, filled with such advantage to his 

 fellow-citizens. It is his intention to reside for the 

 future near London, and hearty good wishes from a 

 very large circle of friends will follow him into his 

 well-earned retirement. 



Nova Scotia Apples. — We learn from the 

 official report that Apple orchards are annually ex- 

 tending in the colony, the area occupied this year 

 being: — In King's County 143, as against the ave- 

 rage of 100 in preceding years ; in Annapolis, 118. 

 But, whilst these are the two principal counties in 

 which fruit is raised for export, we find other 

 counties making headway in orchard culture : Guys- 

 borough, 105; Digby, 107; Cumberland, 110; Col- 

 chester and Hants, 117; Yarmouth, 120; Pictou, 

 122. Antigonish, Cape Breton, Halifax, Inverness, 

 Lunenberg, Queens and Victoria maintains the ave- 

 rage. The Apple orchard area for the whole 

 province seems from the returns to have increased 

 almost 10 per cent, within the year. This year the 

 Apple orchards blossomed abundantly, more so than 

 usual, but there are complaints of want of setting- 

 attributable to the cold, dry season. The trees 

 suffered also from caterpillars. There is prospect of 

 fair fruit crops, however. The following percentages 

 of probable yield of the leading market kinds are 

 from the returns of the principal fruit districts of 

 Annapolis and Kings Counties: — Gravenstein, 75 

 per cent, over 100, 125, over 100, 110 ; Yellow Belle- 

 fleur, 75 per cent., 100; King of Tompkins, 75 per 

 cent., 125, 65 ; R. I. Greening, 100 per cent., 100 

 125; Ribston Pippin, 100 per cent., 100; Northera 

 Spy, 60 per cent., 100 ; Vandevere, 60 per cent., 60 ; 

 Golden Russet, 50 per cent., 90, 105 ; Nonpareil, 30 

 per cent., 40, 75, 105 ; Baldwin, 60 per cent., 125, 

 50. 



